Annexation Issue May Be On Ballots 3 Separate Petition Drives Under Way To Include Parts Of County In Cities

July 13, 1986|By Robin Benedick of The Sentinel Staff

Annexation referendums in the unincorporated areas of the north and south peninsula in east Volusia County, as well as mayoral, council and commission races, may go before some voters this fall.

Three separate annexation petition drives are under way and a fourth could start later this summer, organizers said. It will be another month before city councils and commissions consider ordinances that would put the annexation question to a vote.

Meanwhile, voters in South Daytona will elect a new mayor and four council members in November, and the mayor and two council members are up for re- election in Ponce Inlet.

Elected officials are not up for re-election this year in Daytona Beach, Daytona Beach Shores, Holly Hill, Ormond Beach and Port Orange.

About 65 percent of the registered voters in a portion of the south peninsula are expected to sign petitions to be annexed into Daytona Beach, said organizer Pete Russell, 64. Russell is one of three people spearheading a campaign to annex the unincorporated peninsula between Daytona Beach's southern city limit and Thames Avenue, where the city's water line ends.

Daytona Beach City Clerk Cynthia Gould said she has received 486 signatures on petitions. Petitions do not have to be certified before the question can be put to a vote.

Another group of south peninsula residents hopes to be annexed into Port Orange in a Sept. 30 election. The area runs from Thames Avenue on the south to the Ponce Inlet border, said organizer Tony Pfeiffer, 50. The group has turned in petitions with more than 300 signatures, Pfeiffer said.

The annexation of 1,900 acres of unincorporated land on the north peninsula west of Ormond Beach will be put to a vote Sept. 30, said Dick Jacobs, Ormond Beach planning director.

The area is bounded by State Road 40 on the south; the existing city limit and the Tomoka River on the east; several recently annexed parcels south of the Ormond Beach airport on the north; and the existing city limits parallel to Timbercreek Road on the west.

The population of the unincorporated area is estimated at 2,827 people, Jacobs said.

An association is hoping to persuade residents of unincorporated Wilbur-by- the-Sea on the south peninsula to back the annexation into Port Orange, said organizer Ken McCormack, 76. The Wilbur Improvement Association has not yet circulated petitions and the issue may not be put to a vote until November, McCormack said.

State law requires that a majority of residents living in the city and residents of the proposed annexation area would have to favor the annexations in separate tallies.

On Nov. 4, South Daytona residents will elect a new mayor and council. Candidates can file for office after Sept. 5, and if necessary, a primary will be held Oct. 21.

Mayor Clifford ''Buzzy'' Windle, 34, an independent sales agent at Bellemead Realty Inc., Daytona Beach Shores, is giving up his seat to run for the state Legislature. Terms expire this year for Vice Mayor Glenn Stafford, 58, District 1, owner of the Circle S Short Stop, a convenience store on Reed Canal Road; and council members Homer Swart, 71, District 2, a retired manufacturing engineer for General Electric; Erik Stewart, 44, District 3, a certified public accountant; and Joe M. Piggette Sr., 59, District 4, a retired coach.

Other muncipalities that will have elections if opposition surfaces include:

-- Ponce Inlet -- Candidates can file in late September or early October for mayor and council. Mayor Clayton Perreault will be up for re-election as will Vice Mayor George Straight and William Knox.

-- Edgewater -- All five council seats will be up for election Nov. 4. A primary will be Oct. 21 if necessary.

-- Pierson -- Seats held by the mayor plus three commission members will be decided Sept. 2.

-- Orange City -- Three council seats plus the mayor's post will be up for election. A primary, if needed, will be Sept. 23 with the final election Oct. 7.